


Worth It

by AraHinam



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-03 23:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12156639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AraHinam/pseuds/AraHinam
Summary: You're a rogue vampire passing through the Cullen territory, and you find yourself drawn to their curious way of life and a certain red head.





	Worth It

It had been a long time since you had to run from a group of vampires trying to kill you. Actually you were almost sure it was the first time, and you had to say you were doing pretty well all things considered. Coven of vampires on one side, pack of wolves on the other side. You were still alive, so regardless you were counting it as a good day.  


Currently you were sprinting through the thick Washington brush, doing your best to evade the two species. They had been chasing you for a little over 4 minutes now which was like 3 days in your mind and despite you using their own protection treaty against them you were proud of your defensive tactics. You had been watching them long enough to know that there was this imaginary line that neither would cross, and that served you well as you ping ponged from one side to the other.  


You were well into the forest, currently on the wolves’ side when one of them, a massive black one, slid in front of you. You faltered, scrambling backwards and dashing to make a break for it to the other side of the line. There was a stream in the middle and you hurled yourself over, only to be practically clothes lined by a blonde girl with a surprisingly nasty right hook.  


You hit the ground hard, fracturing your right shoulder. You cursed and rolled over, scrambling to get up. The rest of the coven cornered you as you finally found your footing and you backed up against a old tree. You cursed again.  


It was a tense for a moment, each of you holding your breath as they stared you down and you desperately looked for an escape. You could hear the wolves growling from the other side of the stream, and you took comfort knowing they wouldn’t cross over. If you had to pick which group to plead your life with, you’d rather it be the odd vegetarian vampires.  


Finally the man you had guessed to be the leader spoke.  


“These lands are protected under treaty,” The blond man growled, “You cannot hunt here.”  


You knew that. You had been lurking in Forks for close to three months, but it’s not like you were going to be telling Blonde Dad™ that any time soon.  


It was only supposed to be a brief trip. You had heard some rogues in Canada talking about a place in Washington where the sun didn’t shine as often, and how easy it would be to walk in the daytime. At that point you were getting tired of acting like a character from a cheap halloween movie, so you jumped at the chance and made the long run to Forks.  


When you first got there you could immediately tell the town was already occupied by a coven, but you were shocked to find them a permanent fixture in the sleepy town. You lurked around for a few days observing them. From what you gathered, the blonde man acted as a doctor while the five younger looking ones attended high school. They baffled you, the Cullens. You assumed that maybe they were using the hospital and school as a hunting ground, but their eyes were a honey gold and you had yet to see them hunt within town. That was justification enough to stay and observe them.  


One week turned to two and suddenly you had been there for a month, just watching the family and their daily lives. It was definitely stalker behavior but you tried not to think about it.  


Your talent aided you greatly when it came to watching them. In your human life you excelled at sneaking around and remaining unseen when it suited you, and now in your immortal life you gained the ability to shield your scent. This let you get close to them, hovering just out of a sight so you could get to know them better. Especially the red head.  


He was beautiful. Which wasn’t a shock considering what he was, but you could tell even in his human life he was turning heads wherever he went. He was the only one in his group that wasn’t paired up and you could tell this made him a bit lonely. He spent a lot of time in the woods surrounding the house, often times reading or listening to music, but you had caught him staring into space once or twice seemingly contemplating his long road of immortality and it took everything in you not to reveal yourself and offer company.  


So you stayed longer and managed to go unseen for another month until you finally slipped up.  


It was an accident really. You hadn’t fed in a few days, trying to keep your hunting ground well away from Forks as to not give away your presence. So you were already on edge when you stumbled upon the group of teenagers camping in the woods.  


They were drunk and loud and one of them tripped in the middle of the night on his way to the bathroom, splitting open his forehead and you attacked without thinking. When morning came and the rest of the group found their friend missing it was all downhill from there. The Cullens weren’t stupid and figured out that there must be supernatural play when the victim was found to be drained of blood. Then the hunt began.  


They were in the forest almost every day, looking for the murderer and it got increasingly hard to avoid them. Soon the native tribe from La Push got involved and you had your first experience with werewolves. Which was another thing that shouldn’t surprise you but for fucks sake, werewolves? Really? Jesus.  


You only made it a few days before they found you, chasing you far into the woods before you managed to hide. In hindsight you should have just stayed away, but you hoped that after a few days they would let their guard down and you could go back to stalking in peace. This time however, you caught the attention of the wolf pack and barely escaped with your life. You waited another week before coming back this time and even managed to lurk around for a few days before both groups ambushed you and you realized you might be stupid for antagonizing them.  


Now you were surrounded by six angry vampires and who knows how many wolves and scrambling to find a way out. The blonde was clearly waiting for a response from you and you wracked your mind for something that wouldn’t get you torn apart.  


“I’m not hunting.” You said stupidly. They all sent you a dubious look.  


“You killed a boy a few weeks back.” Blonde responded.  


“Yeah,” you fumbled, “That was an accident.”  


He scoffed and you shook your head, “No no really. I haven’t hunted here except for that one time. He caught me off guard.”  


He studied you for a moment, “How often do you visit this area.”  


You shrugged, “I’ve been here for a few months. I’m just,” You paused, looking for the word, “visiting?”  


“A few months?” A boy that reminded you of a mack truck spoke up, “We would have noticed if you had been here a few months.”  


You held back a smile, proud that they hadn’t realized your presence, “I’m really good at hiding.”  


You finally looked to your red head then, noticing he was studying you intensely. If you could blush you would be under his stare. His eyes flicked to the other blonde boy and he subtly shook his head. You tensed, suddenly wondering if they didn’t believe you.  


“I’ve been watching you,” You blurted out, trying to make them believe you, “You don’t hunt the humans and you live with them and go to school and work in a hospital.” You paused, “I’ve never met anyone like you.”  


The blonde leader studied you for a moment, trying to catch a lie, and suddenly relaxed his stance, giving you a slight smile. “Well, the polite thing to do would get to know us up close,” He stepped forward and held out his hand, “My name Carlisle.”  


Shocked you hesitated before shaking his hand, “(Y/n).”  


“(Y/n),” He said, “We’d love to sate your curiosity if you’d like.”  


“Carlisle,” The red head protested.  


“It’s alright Edward. (S/He)’s just curious.” Carlisle said, waving him off, “(Y/n) if you’d like to follow us home we can speak in a more comfortable setting.”  


You glanced at the rest of his family. Red head and both of the blondes were looking at you like they’d rather rip your head off and be done with it. The pro wrestler looking guy seemed apathetic, and the short girl with the pixie hair looked suspiciously excited. You figured they wouldn’t try and kill you with their dad calling the shots so you agreed.  


The wolves followed you back until you veered from the line and ran to the Cullen house. Red head went over to the line once you got closer and apparently placated them cause you heard them trampling away a few minutes later.  


You had never risked getting close to the house before, so as you slowed down to a walk on the edge of the clearing you realized just how massive it really was.  


Windows made up a lot of the structure, and it looked both modern and old at the same time. Carlisle opened the door and motioned for you to follow him. You heard a few of his family splitting off behind you, probably going to eavesdrop on you from afar to make sure you didn’t try and kill their dad. Red head and the short girl followed you as you entered the house.  


As soon as you walked in you realized that one of their group was missing when they tracked you through the woods, and you suddenly came face to face with her. She walked from the back of the house and managed to not look surprised.  


“You didn’t tell me we were having guests Carlisle.” She said kindly.  


“This is (y/n),” He replied, “She’d like to know more about our way of life. (Y/n) this is my wife Esme.”  


Esme stepped forward and shook your hand, “Lovely meeting you (Y/n), welcome to our home.”  


“Thanks for having me,” You said softly, taking a look around the house.  


“If you’ll join me in my office this way,” Carlisle said, breaking you out of your study and lead you upstairs.  


His office was what you would expect from a doctor, filled floor to ceiling with books and awards and the like. It was painfully clean and you felt bad for ruining his carpet with your mud covered boots and dusty jacket.  


“This is my son, Edward, and my daughter, Alice.” Carlisle said, sitting down and gesturing to the two teenagers looming behind you. You dumbly gave them a half wave before sitting down in the seat across from him.  


“So,” Carlisle began, “What would you like to know?”  


You faltered, searching for the right words, “How do you do it?” You asked finally.  


“How do we resist?” He clarified. You nodded  


“It’s not without effort,” he said, “and it’s taken a lot of time and practice.”  


“How long have you been doing it?”  


“Since the beginning.” He stated.  


Your eyebrows climbed high, “You’ve never drank from a human?” You asked incredulous.  


He nodded, smiling slightly at your surprise, and told you his story. Hunting vampires in 1600′s London, being changed in a raid, despising what he had become, learning he could feed off of animals and keep what little humanity he could, training his mind and body to resist the scent of human blood. You listened with rapt attention, hanging onto his every word. You had only been changed a decade or so ago, a college party gone horribly wrong, and you were fascinated by Carlisle’s centuries of life.  


“Eventually I began to seek companionship. Not many vampires shared my views on preserving human life and this made finding one difficult. I realized that I would have to create another vampire if I were to find someone with my philosophy, but I was hesitant to force someone into this life. I was working in Chicago during the Influenza epidemic when I met Edward.”  


Surprised you looked over to where Edward was leaning against the door. He regarded you curiously and you felt an unexpected rush of affection for the boy, “You created a son.”  


Carlisle looked surprised at your word choice, but nodded, “Yes. Edward and his parents were in the hospital where I was working. His mother asked me to save him on her deathbed. So I did.”  


“That’s sweet,” You said smiling, and relaxed a bit into the seat.  


Suddenly Edward went rigid and turned his golden gaze on you. Shocked, you stared back. An awkward moment passed between the two of you before his eyebrows raised in shock.  


“You’re a shield.” He said.  


“A what?” You shot back, suddenly defensive.  


His brow furrowed as he studied you like a science experiment, “How old are you?”  


“I was changed at 19,” You said, “But I’m technically almost 30.”  


“Who changed you?” Carlise asked.  


You shrugged, “I didn’t know him. I barely remember what happened that night.” They waited for an explanation, “I was at a party, it was New Years and I was drunk. This guy was there and I remember talking to him and going out to his car. The next thing I remember was stumbling through the woods and an animal biting my leg. There was a lot of pain and someone was moving me and people were yelling. I woke up a few days later in a basement in some abandoned house, a vampire.”  


“That’s awful,” Alice piped in, “What did you do?”  


You fiddled with your jacket sleeves, “I was thirsty. The neighborhood was under reconstruction or something so it was mostly empty. I wandered around outside until I smelled a few construction workers a block away.” You paused, “I didn’t even know what I’d done until it was over.” You felt oddly inferior admitting you slaughtered a bunch of humans your first time while Carlisle was able to resist. You barely knew the guy, but it felt like you had disappointed him.  


Alice approached you and rested her hand on your shoulder, squeezing lightly, “It wasn’t your fault.”  


You smiled at her, “Thanks.” You continued, “Afterwards I holed up in one of the houses for a few days. I was terrified. I had no idea what I was or what was happening to me. I was convinced it was all a bad dream. The police showed up investigating the murders and I had no choice but to leave. Over the next few months I generally figured out how to live. I thought about going home, but I was scared I would hurt my little brother or my parents so I decided against it. I was in the North for a while, Canada mostly, and I met a few people like me. I traveled with them for a while and they helped me learn a lot about myself and how to use my abilities. They wanted to go South to look into the vampires armies down there, but I like the calm so we split a part. I was alone for a few years before I met a couple that told me about this place, Forks. They said the sun didn’t shine so often and I had started to hate only being outside at night, so I came here.  


When I first saw you all I was going to leave, but I saw you in town and you never hunted the humans and you went to school and you have a life here. I’d never seen anything like it and you fascinated me. So I stayed.”  


“We never even realized you were there.” Carlisle said not unkindly.  


“I can hide my scent,” You explained, “Sometimes it happens involuntary like when I get nervous or scared, but I can control it too.”  


“That’s why I can’t read your mind.” Edward said.  


“You can read minds?” You asked, shocked, “Dude that’s so cool.”  


Alice laughed, “Every vampire brings something of their human life into their immortal life. Edward can read minds, Jasper can manipulate emotions, Emmett is stronger than usual, I can see the future, and you brought your ability to hide.”  


“What, you can see the future? That’s so cool!” You cut her off, “I’ve never met anyone else with talents like me.”  


“Not all talents are as obvious as mind reading,” Carlisle explained, “You are able to repel other people's talents. Edward can’t read your mind and Jasper doesn’t seem to be able to feel your emotions either. It seems you repel other talents.”  


“I didn’t know it went that deep.” You said. You looked over at Edward, “So you can’t read my mind at all?”  


“For a moment, you let your shield down and I could hear you. It seems to be tied your emotions because the second you got nervous it went back up.”  


You nodded, already knowing this, “It’s my way of protecting myself. If I’m in danger it hides my scent and I guess my thoughts so no one can find me.”  


Edward looked impressed, “That must come in handy often.”  


You preened under the compliment, “Yeah it’s gotten me out of a lot of tight spots.”  


Alice shot you a knowing look and you quickly looked away, addressing Carlisle, “Thank you for welcoming me into your home. I’m sorry I’ve caused your family trouble, but I never meant to harm anyone here.”  


Carlisle nodded, “I understand and you’re forgiven.”  


You could feel your conversation coming to a close and you desperately didn’t want to leave. You wanted to know more about Carlisle’s life and all the things he’s seen. You wanted to learn about Edward and Alice’s talent. And above all else you didn’t want to be alone again. This was the first time you had actually spoken to someone in months.  


“I want to learn.” You blurted, “I don’t like killing people. I don’t like not being in control of myself. I want to go outside and be around other living things without worrying that I’ll snap.” You paused, taking an unnecessary breath, “What you have here, the life you’ve built, is something I could only dream about. Please, you have to teach me.” You begged.  


Carlisle startled at your emotional response, but didn’t outright deny you. He looked to Edward and they had a brief silent conversation. Edward’s eyes flicked to Alice for a moment and you realized the short haired girl looked to be barely holding in her excitement.  


“It won’t be easy.” Carlisle finally said, “It takes a lot of patience and willpower, and you won’t notice improvement for a while.” You nodded eagerly, “There will be mistakes,” he continued, “And you have to let us help you if you slip up.”  


“I can do it.” You said eagerly, “I want to be alive again, or at least as much as I can be alive now. Trust me Carlisle, I can do it.”  


A smile played on his lips at your eagerness, and he nodded, “Okay.”  


Alice squealed and threw her arms around you, “Welcome to the family, (y/n)!”  


You laughed and patted her awkwardly on the back, “I wouldn’t go that far.”  


She pulled back and glared playfully, “I can see the future you know. I wouldn’t bet against me.”  


“I don’t know if that’s comforting or threatening.”  


“Think of it as both.” Edward said.  


Carlisle stood and you followed suit. “There’s a guest room downstairs that you can have for the time being.”  


“Oh, I don’t need a room. Thank you though.”  


“You’ll need a place to put your stuff.” Alice said, “And everyone needs a space to call their own.”  


You smiled shyly, “I don’t have a lot of things. I stashed a backpack a few miles from here that has a few things from my human life and a change of clothes, but that’s it.”  


“Well,” Alice said, “That’ll change soon. I can have one of the boys grab your backpack.”  


You were going to protest, but Edward caught your eye and shook his head wryily. Apparently Alice was going to take some getting used to.  


Later, Alice introduced you to the rest of the house’s occupants and sat with you as you settled your measly belongings into the house. It was the most socializing you had done in months and you felt a bit overwhelmed. The sun set and Jasper finally swooped in and stole Alice’s attention, giving you a reprieve from her chatter. You made your way outside and surveyed the grounds. The Cullen’s yard was massive and backed up to a natural stream that ran through the forest. You could hear the Cullen’s murmuring in the house and paired with the trickling of the stream you felt at peace. You jumped the stream easily and wandered into the surrounding brush.  


About an hour passed before you felt eyes on you. You tensed and slid your shield up, scenting out to find where the presence was coming from.  


“Edward?”  


You turned to where you figured the boy was hiding, and sure enough Edward slid from between the trees. You quirked your eyebrow, “Were you spying on me?”  


He glared, “I wasn’t spying. I was making sure you weren’t trying to run off.”  


“Why would I run off?”  


“You learned a lot about my family today. It wouldn’t do us any good if you ran off and told a bunch of people.”  


You scoffed, “I only really know three people in this life, and two of them are in Louisiana doing god knows what with a bunch of Trump supporters. Trust me, I won’t be running off any time soon.”  


Edward laughed before smothering his smile, “Still, just in case. We don’t really know you, even if Alice says convinced otherwise.”  


“That’s fair. And turnabout is fairplay, I spent plenty of time watching you.” You said offhandedly.  


“You watched me?” Edward asked.  


“Uh no,” You said stuttering, “No I mean like when I watched your family and stuff.”  


He regarded you suspiciously, “I don’t think so.” He was smiling slightly so you could tell he wasn’t really mad.  


“It just,” You shrugged, “You seemed lonely, out here by yourself.”  


“I’m not lonely,” Edward said, a bit too quick, “I have my family and I’m surrounded by humans almost every day. If anything, this is my time for peace and quiet.”  


“But everyone has someone,” You protested, “And you don’t.”  


He shifted, uncomfortable and you realized how rude you were being, “I’m sorry, that was rude.” You said.  


“It’s alright,” He said, “You’re not the first person to worry about me.”  


The way he said it made you think about Carlisle and the way he looked at him. He probably worried about his son and his happiness.  


“Just not interested in companionship?” You asked, trying to keep the conversation light.  


“Just haven’t found the right person.” He said.  


“I guess that’s fair,” You said, “No use in settling with someone for eternity if they aren’t the one.”  


Edward’s gaze softened, “Yes exactly.”  


His eyes were making you feel all weird and not-blushy and you turned away, gazing out at the moonlit forest instead. There was no denying your attraction to the boy, but you tried your best to put it out of your mind. You made sure your shield was firmly in place lest he hear your not entirely innocent thoughts.  


“What about you?” Edward asked, breaking the silence.  


“What about me?”  


“Being alone,” He said, “Why haven’t you joined a group or found a mate.”  


You contemplated your answer before speaking, “I want to be normal again.”  


He nodded, sort of getting what you said but you explained nonetheless, “Most vampires want to hunt and fight and do whatever for forever, but I just want to live again. I want to go back to college and meet someone who won’t deposit me in the middle of the woods to get murdered and get my degree and just be normal.”  


A brief silence ensued and you wanted to take back your words for some reason when Edward’s soft reply came.  
“Me too.”  


Edward hit you again with that timeless gaze and you were caught in the gravity of his gold eyes. You could see the same loneliness that plagued you for months in his eyes. This time he looked away first, shifting slight .  


The two of you sat in a sort of comfortable silence for a while. You wanted to hear him talk again, but couldn’t find the words.  


“When was the last time you fed?” Edward asked, ending the quiet.  


“Not for a few days now. Why?”  


“I can take you hunting if you’d like. There’s a place a few miles from here that’s a great place to start.” He offered.  


“Hunting animals,” You said skeptically, “I guess there’s no time like the present.” You turned to him and made a general gesture towards the forest, “Lead the way.”  


Edward smirked, “Try and keep up.” And he took off.  


You gasped at his playfulness and took off after him, both of you laughing.  
The next few months were going to be hard and possibly awkward because that seemed to be your default state nowadays, but if it meant you got to run through the woods with a red haired boy and his too bright smile-- it just might be worth it.


End file.
